Rezai, Randomness and Roland Garros

So in all that Fedal frazzling, I totally forgot about what I actually spent most of the week writing about - the women's draw in Madrid.

I wonder exactly how many people in the world put money on Aravane Rezai to win that tournament. And exactly what holiday island they're on now, which beach, which fruity cocktail they're sitting...

Seriously, Rezai has been on the rise this year - she first really popped into my field of vision when she very-nearly-almost beat Serena in the semis in Sydney, because I remember being very cross that she was going to be in the final, as I had tickets to it and hadn't exactly paid to see Aravane Rezai. And also she was wearing some hideous gold thing. But who would have thought she'd go all the way and win a Premier tournament?

Seriously, this year's Roland Garros is one OPEN tournament. Henin may be the favourite - and, indeed, the only big name player to have won one of the big clay titles - but just about anyone could win this one. Rezai aside, the last Premier event was won by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Now that MJMS isn't awesome, but she isn't normally what you'd think of as big title material.

But anyone is big title material right now in the WTA. Including Aravane Rezai.

Marion Bartoli better watch her back, because Aravane is skyrocketing up the rankings and may soon be French #1. Her victory over Venus - arguably the best performer of the leading women on clay this season, even though she hasn't won a title recently - was absolutely superb. She's already left perennial underperformer Alize Cornet far behind and it looks like the only way is up.

You always wonder how players are going to back up big wins like this one. However, what we have to remember that because this field is so wide open, ANYONE in the WTA draw can theoretically win Roland Garros. It might not be Rezai or MJMS, but someone random could come skyrocketing through in the same manner and claim the prize. Back it up shmack it up - they'll have a Slam!

Ladies' Hot or Not in Miami

So we're in that interesting stage before the seeds turn up to play and we get a whole lot of first round tennis. It's a big melting pot at this level of the rankings, but some people are definitely way more awesome than others. So today, we're doing a hot or not of the women's draw.

Hot: Justine Henin. Yes, she may have been outclubbed by A-Kley in Indian Wells, but she's only just outside the seeds here and I think she's rad. I don't expect her to win the tournament, but let's just say I don't expect her to lose in the next round.

Not: Alize Cornet. I do expect her to lose in the next round. In fact, I'm pretty well flabbergasted she won the first one.

Hot: Carla Suarez Navarro. Not the most consistent player ever, but she plays crushworthy tennis. Her single handed backhand is the only one in the women's game fit to be mentioned in the same paragraph as JuJu's.

Not: Patty Schnyder. She's on the way down, and I don't think she's going to come back up again.

Hot: Elena Baltacha. Where has this girl come from? She's been burning it up - Anne Keothavong better not sit too pretty in that #1 British girl spot and Laura Robson better not start thinking British women's tennis is all about her...

Not: Tamira Paszek. I used to be a huge fan, but she hasn't really done anything to warrant this huge fandom. Come back to me when you've done something slightly more awesome, Tammy P.

Hot: Kimiko Date Krumm. Enough said. She's, what, 40, and still rolling strong? Love and respect.

Not: Melanie Oudin. People rave about her. I don't get it. Get off the stage.

Agreements? Disagreements? Happy to take all views into consideration...

Dreaming Anastasia

Now, here is something I completely forgot to write about last week, what with all the shenanigans of Davis Cup... and also because the women's tour is not so interesting right now. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a personal favourite of mine, won a tour title - a tour title which I am pretty sure is her first - in Monterrey.

Coming right on the heels of Ernests Gulbis' first tour title, this makes me feel very vindicated. Pavlyuchenkova was an extraordinarily talented junior - I think she won a good half dozen junior Slams - but she came up at the same time as Alize Cornet, who obviously bloomed a little earlier. However, you'd be excused for saying 'who?' about Cornet at the moment - seriously, when is the last time she won a match? whereas Pavlyuchenkova has made some good steady progress.

I'm pretty sure it was Indian Wells last year where she made the semis - either there or Miami, anyway. That was her really big coming out party, the first really epic result she had on tour. However, she's been making good progress for a while now - she's very much a slow and steady wins the race sort of player in that sense.

But I was super glad to see her win this title in Monterrey because she really is incredibly awesome. In my mind, she really will be the next successor to that uber-Russian crown that Sharapova and Dementieva and Safina and Kuznetsova and Zvonareva and all those kids toss around among themselves. She's mentally steadier than more than a few of the players on that list and if she keeps progressing the way she is, she can do pretty much anything. And it's not as if she beat a whole crowd of nobodies in Monterrey - she ran up against Daniela Hantuchova in the final and lost the first set badly before gritting it out in three. That's some toughness right there.

Considering Indian Wells (I think) was her first breakout last year, I'll be interested to see how she backs that up - that can often be a test. But let us just say this - Jodi's picks are starting to come good. Now if only Sabine Lisicki could get her arse into the top ten and Gulbis could keep winning stuff, I could legitimately be a super genius.

Awesome Andrey

Oh man, my boy Andrey Golubev was SO CLOSE to pulling a big upset in Rotterdam and knocking out sixth seed Mikhail Youzhny. He cantered away with a breadstick in the first but then lost the next two sets in tiebreaks. Clearly he has still got his awesome game going on and it wasn't just an Australian fluke - but he's got to close out these matches instead of coming OMGSOCLOSE. Because I firmly believe that he can skyrocket - and I mean skyrocket - up those rankings. If he keeps playing the way I saw him play in Perth...

...I can't get over how awesome he is and how low his ranking is by comparison. Though he did improve it by about thirty places over the Australian summer - and when you consider that he totally only played the Australian Open, as the Hopman Cup (where he was arguably at his awesomest) has no ranking points attached, that is totally awesome.

If he can only win matches like this one against Youzhny instead of coming agonisingly close, then we will really be cooking with gas. But watch this kid, guys. Andrey Golubev is going places.

Another result from Rotterdam I thought was interesting was Marsel Ilhan's win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Garcia-Lopez can really ball on the red stuff, so this was a good win. But what I want to know is - where did Ilhan come from? I could swear I had never heard of him before the beginning of this year... or maybe late last year. Point is, he popped up so suddenly. Suddenly Turkey is all about tennis. I noticed the same OMGlookatme! appearance of Horacio Zeballos as well - I'd never seen him before and suddenly he was everywhere.

Goes to show you can write about tennis every day and still things surprise you.

One thing that does not surprise me, however, is Alize Cornet losing in Paris. Seriously, when was the last time she actually won a match? Did losing that match to Safina at AO '09 really do this much damage?

Luxembourg Lurgy

So here is a weird result. Luxembourg. Anne Kremer defeated Caroline Wozniacki, 5-7 0-5 retired.

Dude, Caro, you only had to win one more game! What's with that?

From what I can tell, it was pretty sudden. There was no fall down on the court in agony, no moment of obvious injury occurring... just, yep, bang wow, I'm ahead by about a lightyear, retire, BAM. And the world watches on, completely mystified.

I guess it's kind of commendable in a way. Presumably if she's that injured, even if she'd been able to grind out the required game to win the match, she wouldn't have gone on court for her next round match, which gives Kremer the chance to play a match which otherwise would have been a walkover. But it's just... weird. I assume it has happened before, but I've never seen it. To retire a set and 5-0 up? ...weirdness.

Second seed Kim Clijsters won her match, though, which is nice - first one back from the US Open and all, so that was nice. She made quick work of American veteran Meghan Shaughnessy. And another interesting result, I thought, was the Cornet/Rezai match - in that Cornet won it. Convincingly. And she's been queen of the headcases this year.

But I just can't get over that Wozniacki result. That is a bizarre-o bolt from the blue, that is for sure.


Today's Results

Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

Men's Draw

Wayne Odesnik def. Victor Hanescu, 5-7 7-5 6-4
Robby Ginepri def. Igor Andreev, 6-3 6-7 (9-11) 7-6 (7-1)
Janko Tipsarevic def. Daniel Koellerer, 6-4 6-3
Fabrice Santoro def. Andrey Kuznetsov, 4-6 6-2 6-2
Andrey Golubev def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 7-5 6-3
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Mikhail Biryukov, 6-0 6-2
Mikhail Kukushkin def. Fabio Fognini, 6-4 5-7 6-4
Christophe Rochus def. Marc Gicquel, 7-5 retired
Marcel Granollers def. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-4 1-0 retired


Women's Draw

Vera Zvonareva def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-2 6-2
Jelena Jankovic def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4 5-7 6-1
Alisa Kleybanova def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-1 6-2
Aleksandra Wozniak def. Sara Errani, 6-1 retired
Vera Dushevina def. Galina Voskoboeva, 3-6 6-2 6-1
Monica Niculescu def. Sorana Cirstea, 3-0 retired
Tsvetana Pironkova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3 2-6 6-4


If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

Arnaud Clement def. Andreas Beck, 6-4 6-2
Michael Berrer def. Henri Kontinen, 7-5 7-6 (9-7)
Thomaz Bellucci def. Frederik Nielsen, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3
Olivier Rochus def. Andreas Vinciguerra, 6-3 6-2
Robert Kendrick def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 6-4
Jarkko Nieminen def. Grigor Dimitrov, 6-0 6-2
Andreas Seppi def. Victor Crivoi, 6-4 6-1


BGL Luxembourg Open (Luxembourg)

Anne Kremer def. Caroline Wozniacki, 5-7 -5 retired
Kim Clijsters def. Meghann Shaughnessy, 6-2 6-2
Roberta Vinci def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-0 6-2
Shahar Peer def. Barbora Zahlavova Styrcova, 6-1 6-3
Alize Cornet def. Aravane Rezai, 6-0 6-2
Patty Schnyder def. Petra Kvitova, 6-4 6-1
Timea Bacsinszky def. Julie Coin, 6-4 6-3
Katarine Srebotnik def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 7-5 6-3
Kirsten Flipkens def. Urszula Radwanska, 6-4 603
Polona Hercog def. Maria Elena Camerin, 3-6 7-5 7-5

The Mantle Falls

The big story of the weekend is, obviously, Richard Gasquet testing positive for cocaine. This is a bit of a shock, and rightly so - drug scandals in the tennis world are ridiculously rare (Guillermo Canas and Mariano Puerta are the only two I can recall) and... why Richard?

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That's a silly question to ask, I suppose. 'Why Richard'? Because Richard chose to. I've seen a lot of people saying that he 'allegedly' tested positive, but I find it hard to believe that a drug testing system as rigorous as the one put in place by the ITF is going to be wrong. This one is squarely on Richard... and sad as it is, if he gets a suspension, he's going to be a victim of his own actions.

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I read somewhere else that enforced time off might not be the worst thing in the world for Gasquet, and I think I agree - to an extent. The full two year ban I think would be career-ending for him - it must be hideously difficult to come back from that. But a year... well, I suppose it would give him time to get his head together - something which is clearly isn't at the moment, if he's doing cocaine.

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But the whole thing is just such a shame. What a waste. Richard was the front of a French tennis magazine at the age of nine with the headline 'The Future of French Tennis'. Somehow, I think that that mantle has fallen from his shoulders and slithered to the ground. It is terribly, terribly sad - but Gasquet has no one to blame but himself.

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(Oh, and Alize Cornet and Agnieszka Radwanska both lost their first round matches in Madrid. Go figure.)

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)

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Albert Montanes def. James Blake, 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 6-0

James Blake def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Tomas Berdych def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

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Serbia Open (Belgrade)

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Novak Djokovic def. Lukasz Kubot, 6-3 7-6 (7-0)

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Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

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Men's Draw

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Sam Querrey def. Radek Stepanek, 7-6 (7-2) 5-2 retired

Tommy Robredo def. Nicolas Kiefer, 3-6 6-2 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3 4-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-2 6-1

Samantha Stosur def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Agnes Szavay def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2

Elena Vesnina def. Alizé Cornet, 7-5 6-1

Vera Dushevina def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-3 6-4

Lucie Safarova def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 2-3 retired

Patty Schnyder def. Sara Errani, 6-2 6-3

Li Na def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 5-7 6-1 7-5

Alona Bondarenko def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-2

Petra Kvitova def. Sybille Bammer, 4-1 retired

Anne Keothavong def. Mariana Duque Marino, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Monica Niculescu, 6-1 6-0

Aravane Rezai def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 6-4

Lourdes Domínguez Lino def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Not Even Close

I spoke too soon. I knew using the words 'run of form' when it was only one win was asking for trouble. Guess who was one of only two seeded players to go out in Rome - which is pretty rare, given the current precarious state of the top players in the WTA. That's right, it was Alize Cornet.

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I can't stop myself liking Cornet's game - any fool that saw her play at the Hopman Cup and even at the Australian Open this year knows she's got style - but honestly, honestly. One round? One measly round? Is that all she can do at a tournament where she is seeded? She went out to Kateryna Bondarenko, who isn't exactly a schlep, but you'd doubt that she'll ever break into the top ten. However, if it were just this lone loss to Bondarenko, it would be fine. But she is losing to players ranked squillions of places below her on an almost everyday basis.

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This has got to stop. Alize, something needs to happen. Your coach needs to smack you silly for performances of this calibre. It is just not good enough. Not even close.

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Speaking of people who are good enough, Bernard Tomic and Olivia Rogowska were good enough to be given wildcards into the main draw of the French Open - good on you, kids! It was always going to be Tomic from the men - who else were they going to pick, really? I suppose there's Brydan Klein, maybe, but I think Tomic is a good choice. Then from the girls you've Isabella Holland and Monika Wejnert and a couple of others, but I think Rogowska is a good choice. Do us proud, guys!

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)

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Men's Draw

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Nikolay Davydenko def. Andrey Golubev, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

David Ferrer def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-4 6-1

Albert Montanes def. Ryan Sweeting, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Florent Serra def. Diego Junqueira, 6-4 2-6 6-3

Simon Greul def. Ricardo Hocevar, 6-1 6-4

Ivan Navarro def. Alberto Martin, 7-5 6-4

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Juan Monaco def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-2 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Maria Kirilenko def. Sharon Fichman, 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3

Sorana Cirstea def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-2 1-6 6-2

Sabine Lisicki def. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-2 6-2

Yanina Wickmayer def. Petra Kvitova, 6-2 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-4 6-3

Shahar Peer def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, 4-6 6-0 6-0

Melinda Czink def. Eva Fernández-Brugues, 7-5 7-5

Olga Govortsova def. Ekaterina Ivanova, 6-1 6-2

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Sílvia Soler Espinosa, 7-5 6-4

Maret Ani def. Frederica Piedade, 6-0 7-6 (7-4)

María Emilia Salerni def. Julie Coin, 6-4 6-4

Elena Bovina def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-1 6-3

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Marin Cilic def. Dieter Kindlmann, 6-3 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Sascha Kloer, 7-6 (7-0) 6-4

Thiemo de Bakker def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-3 6-3

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Lamine Ouahab, 6-3 6-2

Potito Starace def. Igor Kunitsyn, 7-5 5-7 6-3

Denis Gremelmayr def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 5-1 retired

Daniel Brands def. Stefan Koubek, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Julien Benneteau def. Alexander Peya, 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Simone Bolelli def. Stephane Bohli, 3-6 6-2 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (10-8)

Andreas Beck def. Mischa Zverev, 6-3 6-4

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Serbia Open (Belgrade)
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Viktor Troicki def. Sam Querrey, 4-6 6-4 6-3

Ivan Ljubicic def. Victor Crivoi, 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4

Arnaud Clement def. Steve Darcis, 6-1 6-4

Christophe Rochus def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 7-5

Marcel Granollers def. Filip Krajinovic, 6-0 2-6 6-2

Marcos Daniel def. Guillermo Canas, 3-6 6-1 6-4

Kristof Vliegen def. Dominik Hrbaty, 2-6 6-2 6-2

Lukasz Kubot def. Arsenije Zlatanovic, 6-3 7-5

Janko Tipsarevic def. Sergio Roitman, 7-5 6-2

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Dinara Safina def. Virginie Razzano, 7-6 (7-1) 6-1

Jelena Jankovic def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Ana Ivanovic def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 6-3

Nadia Petrova def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-2 3-6 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-1 7-5

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Aravane Rezai, 4-6 6-2 7-6 (9-7)

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Marion Bartoli, 6-1 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-1

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Alizé Cornet, 6-4 6-1

Zheng Jie def. Elena Vesnina, 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-2

Kaia Kanepi def. Sybille Bammer, 7-5 6-3

Anna Chakvetadze def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

A Little Melodrama

I am all astonishment. I am faint and stumbling and weak and clutching at my heart with shock. Don't tell me that... Alize Cornet won a match?! ...and in STRAIGHT SETS?!

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Okay, so maybe that's a little bit over the top, but she has been in a total slump of late - ever since she nearly beat Dinara Safina in Australia and wasted about seventy-five match points. But she has had a good win over Ai Sugiyama (whom commentators seem to refer to almost exclusively Ai-Sugiyama-the-wily-veteran) and hopefully will continue this run of form. Well, 'this run of form' is a total melodramatisation as well, but it's a one-match streak, and that's better than she's done of late.

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One of the major upsets today was clearly David Nalbandian, who went out to random Chilean Paul Capdeville. I didn't see any of the match but it seems like a fair assumption to guess that LameDave turned up. He can be so underwhelming, Dave, with his Jekyll and Hyde personality. I want him to be good so badly sometimes - he's always gold and excellent to watch when GoodDave takes the court.

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And once again Ernests Gulbis made a first round exit. Sigh. I suppose he was playing a seeded player (Kiefer) and he did make a very good start, but... argh! Argh, Ernests! WIN SOMETHING!

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...please?

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)

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Men's Draw

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Gilles Simon def. Robert Kendrick, 6-3 7-6 (9-7)

Oscar Hernandez def. Rui Rachado, 7-5 1-6 7-5

Paul Capdeville def. David Nalbandian, 6-2 6-2

Marc Gicquel def. Pablo Andujar, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Mardy Fish def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Iveta Benesova def. Neuza Silva, 6-4 5-7 6-4

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Pauline Parmentier, 1-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1)

Jarmila Groth def. Mathilde Johansson, 1-6 6-1 6-1

Kristina Barrois def. Maria Joao Koehler, 7-6 (7-4) 6-0

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Mikhail Youzhny def. Ivo Minar, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Nicolas Kiefer def. Ernests Gulbis, 2-6 6-3 6-2

Jeremy Chardy def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-3 6-3

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Bjorn Phau, 6-2 2-1 retired

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Venus Williams def. Lucie Safarova, 6-2 4-6 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Ayumi Morita, 6-0 retired

Caroline Wozniacki def. Agnes Szavay, 6-3 6-2

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-0 6-1

Flavia Pennetta def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-1

Alizé Cornet def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-3 7-5

Zheng Jie def. Nathalie Dechy, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Anna Chakvetadze def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-2 6-3

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Sara Errani, 6-1 3-6 6-4

Virginie Razzano def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-0 6-7 (8-10) 6-4

Gisela Dulko def. Karin Knapp, 6-2 6-3

Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Tathiana Garbin, 3-6 6-3 6-1

Elena Vesnina def. Jill Craybas, 1-6 6-3 6-2

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Roberta Vinci, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Aravane Rezai def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-3 6-3

Clemency

Now, I could do another post about yet another inductee to the 2009 Club of Lost Souls (I was going to beat on Alize Cornet this time) but then that might just get monotonous. So let's talk about something else.

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The big guns are largely through in Rome - Djokovic went through yesterday, and Nadal and Federer both went through pretty comfortably today - with one notable exception: Andy Murray, who went down in a tight three-setter against Juan Monaco. Now, this might just be my imagination, but Juan Monaco seems to be popping up a bit lately. I can't pinpoint where, but I know his name's been around for doing... something. (Maybe I was beating on him for being not good enough - we all know that's my wont!) This is a good win for him - maybe the biggest one of his career.

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Now, if Nadal, Federer or even Djokovic had taken this loss, I can guarantee that it would be cause of huge concern and there would be massive press and coverage and whatever. As it is, I don't think it's going to be too much of a worry for Murray. He's already greatly exceeded expectations on clay, which is NOT his best surface, and so I think one early loss probably isn't going to be too much of a concern. If anything, it might do him good to have a week off and a bit of a rest.

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Nikolay Davydenko also went out, but considering his recent comeback and good showing in Barcelona, I'm also prepared to show clemency. And I'm even going to be nice about Ernests Gulbis, despite my ranting about his not winning enough - he had a fabulous, fabulous win in the first round against Nicolas Almagro (who is definitely AWOL this year - the Prince of Clay is not in the building) before going out in a tight three sets to Richard Gasquet. Not too bad, not too bad.

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In fact, I don't think there's a single result today which is totally, totally disappointing... in Rome, anyway. There are definitely a few choice words I could say about various people in Fes and Stuttgart. But today is a day for clemency - I'll beat on them tomorrow.

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Today's Results

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Rafael Nadal def. Andreas Seppi, 6-2 6-3

Roger Federer def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4 6-4

Juan Monaco def. Andy Murray, 1-6 6-3 7-5

Fernando Verdasco def. Mardy Fish, 6-4 5-7 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Nikolay Davydenko, 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-4 6-4

Tommy Robredo def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Marin Cilic def. Christophe Rochus, 6-0 5-7 6-2

Robin Soderling def. Victor Crivoi, 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-1

Mischa Zverev def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-0

Radek Stepanek def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2 6-1

Gilles Simon def. Fabio Fognini, 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-2 1-6 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-1 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. David Ferrer, 6-3 2-6 6-2

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Gisela Dulko def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-4 6-3

Jelena Jankovic def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-1 6-1

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Andrea Petkovic, 6-4 5-7 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Zheng Jie, 6-4 5-7 6-4

Flavia Pennetta def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-2 6-0

Daniela Hantuchova def. Alizé Cornet, 6-3 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-3

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Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Fes)

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Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Klara Zakopalova, 1-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

Alisa Kleybanova def. Jarmila Groth, 6-4 6-1

Melinda Czink def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-3

Ekaterina Makarova def. Akiko Morigami, 6-0 6-1

Polona Hercog def. Roberta Vinci, 6-2 6-4

Lucie Hradecka def. Shahar Peer, 6-4 6-1

Lourdes Domínguez Lino def. Anne Keothavong, 4-6 7-5 6-3

Marta Domachowska def. Eva Fernández-Brugues, 6-4 6-4

Go See Sebastien

One from three on Stars today - Marin Cilic beat Flavio Cipolla, but both Jeremy Chardy and Eduardo Schwank were first round casualties. Not too fussed about Schwank - he was, I think, only a flash in the pan, and is only hanging on to Star status by his teeth. But Chardy... I'm a bit disappointed by his performance over the last couple of weeks. He was the fourth seed in one of the tournaments last week, and I thought he had quite a good shot at winning... but last week was the week of the old guy, I suppose. Here's hoping Jeremy gets back on his feet again soon.

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Speaking of a disappointing performance, Alize, where art thou? She was the top seed in Barcelona, and got absolutely pulverised by Stephanie Cohen-Aloro. If she isn't injured... God, I hope she's injured. This performance is absolutely inexcusable otherwise. Ever since she had those match points against Safina in Australia, she has absolutely crumbled. Perhaps she should go and have a word with countryman Sebastien Grosjean. He knows a thing or two about choking.

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...though he probably couldn't give her many useful points on how to stop.

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But seriously, it is so disappointing! She is a great little player and she's great on clay especially. What's gone on here? This is something that clearly needs to be addressed. I hate to see promising young guns, who should be off conquering tennis Everests with Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki and co, succumbing to the paralysis currently sweeping the WTA. I thought it was only the more 'senior' members of the top ten (feels strange to call players like the Serbians senior - they haven't been round that long!) but Alize's caught the disease too.

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Who is going to fix the WTA? That has got to be the biggest question in tennis right now. Where did it go wrong, and who is going to set it right?

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Today's Results

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Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte Carlo)

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Marin Cilic def. Flavio Cipolla, 6-3 6-2

Nicolas Lapentti def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 1-6 6-3

Oscar Hernandez def. Julien Benneteau, 6-4 6-4

Juan Igancio Chela def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-4 2-6 7-5

Victor Hanescu def. Alberto Martin, 6-2 6-3

Andreas Seppi def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-2 6-0

Marcel Granollers def. Jose Acasuso, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2)

Juan Monaco def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-2 7-5

Marc Gicquel def. Eduardo Schwank, 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-2)

Andreas Beck def. Nicolas Kiefer, 1-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-4

Ivan Ljubicic def. Kristof Vliegen, 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4

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Family Circle Cup (Charleston)

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Peng Shuai def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-0 6-2

Alona Bondarenko def. Anne Kremer, 6-4 6-0

Virginie Razzano def. Mallory Cecil, 6-1 6-2

Vania King def. Olga Govortsova, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Tamira Paszek def. Julia Schruff, 7-5 6-2

Patricia Mayr def. Yan Zi, 6-2 6-2

Rossana de los Ríos def. Carly Gullickson, 6-1 6-4

Varvara Lepchenko def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-1 6-3

Julie Ditty def. Ayumi Morita, 6-1 6-1

Anastasia Rodionova def. Madison Brengle, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Lenka Wienerova def. Alexa Glatch, 6-4 7-5

Melanie Oudin def. Olga Savchuk, 6-4 6-0

Anastasija Sevastova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-1 1-6 6-4

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Barcelona Ladies Open (Barcelona)

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Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro def. Alizé Cornet, 6-0 6-3

Flavia Pennetta def. Petra Kvitova, 6-3 6-3

Sara Errani def. Mathilde Johansson, 2-6 7-5 6-3

Lucie Safarova def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-1 3-6 6-0

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-1 7-6 (9-7)

Roberta Vinci def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-4 7-6 (9-7)

The Land of What Might Have Been

So, Taylor Dent, yeah. The first I remember of him is at the Aussie Open '06, when he was seeded about #27, and he was someone's semi-final pick (can't remember whose) in a pre-tournament TV show. He didn't deliver, and he hasn't delivered much of anything ever since. He's been a pretty big non-event for the last three, four years, really - I understand injury is to blame, though I confess I haven't been following the story too closely.

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And now here he is in Miami, a qualifier, beating the recently in-form Tommy Robredo. I wouldn't call this a comeback - far from it - but it must be nice for him to know that he's still got it. Still, I bet the poor guy will come away from his career with a feeling of what might have been.

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What a cheery note to start off with.

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Another cheery note - Dinara Safina continued the crisis of confidence in Miami, going down very, very meekly. She went down to Sam Stosur, so from my perspective, being Australian, it's like, go Sam - but Dinara is really my favourite on the WTA and I am not entirely happy with her right now. The determination that saw her so well through the mid-section of last year seems to have been put on the backburner, and that serve... oh, that serve. Please, Zeljko, help. Please. Please. Don't let Dinara become another inhabitant of the land of what might have been.

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(But meanwhile, go Sam!)

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Ana Ivanovic also went down, though with a bit more of a struggle - Agnes Szavay got her in three. And it was also curtains for Alize Cornet, who has not been playing anything like herself since she held those match points against Safina at the Aussie Open. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out at the best non-Williams this week - I don't think anyone would gainsay Serena in this tournament. And if Serena goes down to anyone, it'd probably be Venus. Sigh. Please, Roger and Mirka, have a little girl, and let her grow up to save the WTA. Please.

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On the subject of Roger, he had a very shiny win over Nicolas Kiefer. Nice one, Rog.

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-4 6-1

Andy Roddick def. Dmitry Tursunov, 7-6 (11-9) 6-2

Taylor Dent def. Tommy Robredo, 7-5 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Samantha Stosur def. Dinara Safina, 6-1 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-2 6-2

Agnes Szavay def. Ana Ivanovic, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-1 6-4

Caroline Wozniacki def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-4

Zheng Jie def. Alizé Cornet, 6-4 6-0

Alisa Kleybanova def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Little Guys in the Big Time

All this talk of the Fed Cup and Aussie women's tennis has made me forget to write about one of the staples of this blog - my Stars! And two of them in particular have done very well this week, so - a little tribute.

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Let's start in Johannesburg, with my Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy. Not one of the more active of my Stars, it is fair to say - he hasn't been burning quite as brightly as some of the others. Nonetheless, whenever I forget about him, he comes out and proves that, yes, he does belong in my Stars program, and this week he did it by reaching the final in Johannesburg, where he did lose, yes - but it was to fellow Frenchie Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and even though he's a Star, Jo-Dub is a bit spesh right now. He was seeded fifth in this tournament, which shows you how he's sneaking up the rankings - so well done, Jeremy. Hope to see more of you.

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And not only did we have a finalist in South Africa, we had a winner in Zagreb. I think it's fair to say that second seed Marin Cilic, who cruised home over fellow Croat Mario Ancic, has well and truly made it. I think he's the first of my Stars that I can legitimately say I picked when he was way down in the rankings and has since made the big time. Seriously, how good is this boy? Two titles this year already, and it's only February. I think we can expect big things from Marin this year - big things. He might even be this year's surprise Juan Martin del Potro, the random young guy who suddenly becomes a gun and makes it to the season-ending championships. Though I do hold out hopes that Gulbis will give him a run for his money...

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And meanwhile, back to Fed Cup - I expected Russia to sweep China, even though neither Safina nor Sharapova were playing the tie, but Italy sweeping France? I never would have picked that one. On one side, you have Schiavone and Pennetta, the other, Cornet and Mauresmo. A sane person would pick the French girls to win every time, yeah? How bizarre. But good work to the Italians, nonetheless.

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open (Johannesburg)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Fernando Gonzalez def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-3 6-2

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Marin Cilic def. Mario Ancic, 6-3 6-4

Feeling Sorry for Sorana

Dinara Safina doesn't seem to have let that heartbreaker of a loss to Dominika Cibulkova in Perth slow her down - if anything, it seems to have given her motivation to absolutely pound on her opponents, and poor Sorana Cirstea was today's victim. Dude, I would not have liked to be in Sorana's shoes. Dinara absolutely smashed her. If she keeps playing like this (Dinara, that is, not Sorana) she is a real shot for the Aussie Open... and I bet she was chuckling when Cibulkova went down softly to Wozniacki. I was a bit sad about that, actually - much as I'm on Team Dinara, I really like Cibulkova's pocket rocket style of play, and a rematch could have been interesting... especially if Dinara went in with the mindset she seemed to have gone in with against Cirstea!

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There were no upsets of note in either Sydney or Auckland for the blokes - though Igor Andreev was looking like he was in trouble for a while there against Frank Dancevic, who may not be very highly ranked but has proved to be a little dangerous on occasion. (I believe his power lies in his bandanna, if he still wears it - he wore it when I watched him play Nieminen at last year's Aussie Open, and it was up there with Stepanek's shirt for sheer stupidity) The only really iffy one was Juan Carlos Ferrero beating Kei Nishikori, but that was by retirement... I hope Kei is all right! I want him to go far, far, far! He's a Star!

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The women's side, by contrast, was a little more up-and-down. It seems to me like pretty much anyone who's anyone is playing in Sydney for the women this week - with the exception of the two Serbian girls. Who would pick players of the calibre of Nadia Petrova (seeded #7) and Alize Cornet (unseeded) meeting in the first round? Cornet is ranked #15 - you'd normally get a pretty decent seed based on that ranking. Petrova is #11 and Wozniacki is #8 - Cornet'd be next in line, I guess. But still, in how many tournaments are you going to see two top twenty players meeting in the first round? I bet both of them were pretty filthy with that draw... especially Petrova, coming off viral meningitis last week. You want a nice easy qualifier or something to warm up against... instead, you get Alize Cornet.

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This could have been a great match if it'd happened a little later in the week and Petrova had played her way into form a bit. As it was, Cornet pretty much snapped her in half. I am loving the look of Alize at the moment - probably not a finals run yet, but I could see her in the quarters of the Australian. And on that subject, no Sharapova! I am feeling the loss so tragically. Really. Feel my pain. I mean, sure, she's the defending champ and all, and it's sad that she can't defend her title, but we've coped just fine without her for a while now - I'm sure we'll manage somehow. (Meanwhile, does anyone else think that there must be a lot of dislike between Sharapova and Ivanovic - especially from Sharapova to Ivanovic? Ana has pretty much run off with the mantle of the glamour girl of tennis... have we moved beyond Maria?)

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And what is up with Casey Dellacqua? She went down ridiculously softly to Sara Errani, which I would not have expected. She wasn't looking that good in Perth either - is the pressure of backing up what she did last year getting to her?

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Today's Results

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Medibank International (Sydney)

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Men's Draw

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Igor Andreev def. Frank Dancevic, 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

Tommy Robredo def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-3 6-4

Jarkko Nieminen def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2 7-6 (11-9)

Mario Ancic def. Xavier Malisse, 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Michael Llodra def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-0 6-2

Simone Bolelli def. Potito Starace, 7-6 (7-1) 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-1

Elena Dementieva def. Ekaterina Makarova, 7-5 6-1

Alizé Cornet def. Nadia Petrova, 6-2 6-4

Caroline Wozniacki def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-1 6-2

Daniela Hantuchova def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-3 6-0

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-1 3-6 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Angelique Kerber, 6-1 7-5

Ai Sugiyama def. Jill Craybas, 6-2 6-3

Alisa Kleybanova def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-2 6-2

Sara Errani def. Casey Dellacqua, 6-1 6-2

Vera Dushevina def. Emelyn Starr, 6-0 6-1

Melanie South def. Marion Bartoli, 1-1 retired

Jarmila Gajdosova def. Karin Knapp, 6-4 6-2

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Heineken Open (Auckland)

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Sam Querrey def. Daniel King-Turner, 6-4 7-5

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Kei Nishikori, 5-3 retired

Viktor Troicki def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-1 6-2

Robby Ginepri def. Jose Rubin Statham, 6-2 6-3

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Moorilla Hobart International (Hobart)

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Flavia Pennetta def. Shahar Peer, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Anna Chakvetadze, 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-5

Zheng Jie def. Marina Erakovic, 6-1 4-6 6-1

Anne Keothavong def. Agnes Szavay, 6-3 7-5

Urszula Radwanska def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Olivia Rogowska, 6-3 6-1

Olga Govortsova def. Jessica Moore, 6-0 6-3

Gisela Dulko def. Stefanie Voegele, 6-2 6-3

Virginie Razzano def. Maria Elena Camerin, 6-1 6-2

Mara Santangelo def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1 6-1

Melinda Czink def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-2 1-6 7-5

The Hopman Privilege

It is so, so good to have tennis back on television - it almost makes you forget how much you love the sport when you don't see it for so long. And for the tennis viewing year to start off with such a tournament as the Hopman Cup... it is truly a privilege, not a chore, to be a blogger then.

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Yesterday we had the first tie of the tournament, France versus Chinese Taipei. France, as one might expect, won the tie - it was a 3-0 whitewash - but Chinese Taipei did not shame themselves. It was the same team as they had last year, and, like last year, I found both of their players very intriguing.

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Let's start with Hsieh Su-Wei, their female player. She is seriously one of the most unusual players to watch, because she plays with two hands off both sides. Seriously, who has a two-handed forehand? I can't think of anyone apart from Seles, and that's going back a while. But that's not to say that Hsieh's game is somehow stunted. Her serve isn't exactly going to rock anyone's world, but one thing I really like is the way she plays at net - she has reactions of steel. She copped a few massive bodyshots from Gilles Simon during the mixed doubles yesterday, and she gave as good as she got. I also really like the way she can just chuck a dropshot into a rally at any given moment... she may not have beaten Alize Cornet yesterday, but she sure made her run - poor Alize, straight off the plane from France, had some thinking to do!

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And Lu Yen-Hsun really gave an excellent account of himself to Gilles Simon, especially in the second set - he is just a lovely player to watch. He had a victory over Andy Murray last year and you can see why: kid's got some serious flair. Simon was just a bit too much for him yesterday, but I think we're definitely going to see Lu come up the rankings a bit more this year. I'm calling top fifty - anyone going to gainsay me?

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But all credit must go to the French team - especially in the mixed doubles, where it was pretty clear they had no idea what they were doing at the beginning, especially Gilles Simon, but they picked it up quick smart. I've always enjoyed watching Alize Cornet play, but despite Simon cracking the top ten, I can't remember ever seeing him play before, and it was a joy. You can see why he posted victories over the three big boys last year - he has a really stylish game. He is really, really quick round the court - he got to some fabulous droppers from Lu Yen-Hsun - and he can crack that ball as well as anyone. I look forward to seeing him play again this week - it was really a pleasure.

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And how 'bout that Andy Murray taking out Rafa in Abu Dhabi? I had my doubts about the whole Big Four thing, but I am seriously coming round. Actually, I'm going to stick to Big Three - I reckon Murray could take Djokovic's spot, and I think the Australian Open is thus going to be very interesting, because Murray has everything to gain (he lost first round last year) whereas Djokovic has everything to lose...

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Today's Results

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Capitala World Tennis Championships (Abu Dhabi)

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Andy Murray def. Rafael Nadal, 6-4 5-7 6-3

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Harry Hopman Cup (Perth)

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France 3, Chinese Taipei 0

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Alize Cornet def. Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-4 6-4

Gilles Simon def. Lu Yen-Hsun, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Cornet/Simon def. Hsieh/Lu, 6-4 7-6 (11-9)

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Josh's Tennis Tips

Focus: Forehand

Today's Tip: Following Through and Angling

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When you hit a shot do you hit it as quick as you can? or do follow through and take it slow and calm? Well, you should take it calm and slow: step into the shot, and make the most of it.

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When you hit a shot, you should you angle your shot so you can hit just over the net but not too high. If you are hitting it high and lobbing the ball all the time, you're probably angling your racquet too much. Or you may be coming under the ball too much. To lift the ball, you should follow through as straight as possible.

That Strange Unfinished Feel

Very little to report on today... mostly because very little happened. Only six matches were played in Madrid, and none of the results were particularly unexpected... that said, I only picked four of them correctly in the bracket challenge. But, you know, some of them were hard picks.

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Like Simon vs. Andreev. I mean, who are you going to pick in that one? They couldn't decide who was going to win - Andreev had four match points. I had picked him to win, but Simon came through in the end. If that had been a five set match, that one could have been a thriller. I mean, as a three set match it looked like a bit of a thriller, what the nail-biting final set breaker. I hate final set breakers, I have to say - I think it is the stupidest way of deciding matches. Well, not stupid, I guess - I have no issues with breakers used in other sets - but I just feel that if the match is that close, then you are obligated to keep it going on until someone wins properly, if that makes sense. Imagine if that amazing Nadal/Federer match at Wimbledon had been decided with a fifth set breaker. That would have been tragic. Actually, remember the final at Rome in 2006, decided with a fifth set breaker. The match was five hours already, but it deserved longer. Someone wins the breaker, for sure, but the match is left with a strange unfinished feel...

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Meanwhile, Tomas Berdych is looking in good form, which is interesting, because we haven't seen that for a while. Maybe that win in Tokyo was a harbinger of good things to come. Rainer Schuettler isn't a schlep - he is, we must remember, a Wimbledon semifinalist - but Berdych totally owned him. I'd like to see Berdych do well. He's a good indoor player, I do believe - remember that year when Federer won four Masters events and Nadal won four, and then neither of them played Paris? Berdych won it. I'm not saying I necessarily want him to replicate that - we all know I want Federer to win, to take out the double, especially as he hasn't won any Masters events this year - but it'd be nice to see him do well.

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Same thing with my boy Marin Cilic, who had a good win as well, beating Olivier Rochus in straights. Rochus might not be the mightiest player on the circuit, but Cilic is being consistent and not taking any weird losses, and that's all I can ask of him. This kid is on the way up, big time.

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Someone I thought was on the way up but keeps losing early, which is disappointing, is Alize Cornet, who lost to Alona Bondarenko in Zurich. It was another final set breaker - damn those breakers - but really, come on, Alize. Let's see you making good on all that talent!

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Today's Results

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Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid (Madrid)

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Mardy Fish def. Steve Darcis, 6-1 6-4

Simone Bolelli def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Gilles Simon def. Igor Andreev, 4-6 6-1 7-6 (9-7)

Marin Cilic def. Olivier Rochus, 6-3 7-5

Tommy Robredo def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3

Tomas Berdych def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-1 6-2

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Tennis.com Zurich Open (Zurich)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Daniela Hantuchova, 7-5 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Amélie Mauresmo, 6-2 6-1

Alona Bondarenko def. Alizé Cornet, 1-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

The Hidden Circuit

One of the lead stories on the Tennis Australia website today is that Monique Adamczak and Nick Lindahl (both young Australian players, for those of you who don't know the names) have won events on the '2008-09 Pro Circuit.' Now, I'm mystified. What on earth is this so-called Pro Circuit?

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Adamczak and Lindahl are not very highly ranked players - Adamczak is somewhere in the late #100s and Lindahl in the #200s, so presumably this Pro Circuit is not especially prestigious. The tournament that they won the men's and women's singles in was in Rockhampton, so it's hardly a travel-around-the-world international affair. Oh, wait - I've found a page on Tennis Australia about it. It says:

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'The tennis Pro Circuit is a series of international entry level events onto the professional tour. These events provide an opportunity for players to earn their first world ranking points, which is a players' livelihood as a professional player. The tennis Pro Circuit is a vital step for all tennis players as they embark on professional careers. Positioned as a bridge between junior events and the elite WTA and ATP tournaments the circuit, it is the breeding ground for future champions.'

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That makes sense, I suppose - but surely Monique Adamczak is a bit past that stage? She's played in Slams - surely she should be playing ITF events... her ranking is high enough to get into most of those, yeah? She's professional, not jumping the gap between the two - though looking at her profile, she hasn't been playing much tennis, either at WTA or ITF level. She's made it to some semi-finals, but that's about it. She was born in 1983 and turned pro in 1998, by the looks of it... she's had some career success on the ITF circuit with four title but not that much recently - and now she's back playing on the Pro Circuit. She was the top seed in Rockhampton.

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That's really a bit demoralising, but well done Monique Adamczak, nonetheless.

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Nick Lindahl is a bit of a different story... I remember him playing in juniors a couple of years back, and he was no Tomic, but he was pretty good. I haven't really seen him since - the ATP has no record of him turning pro, though presumably he did, because he played quarter finals in a Challenger event... do you have to be a professional to play Challengers? Maybe you don't. He was the second seed in the event at Rockhampton.

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It's funny, isn't it, to actually see the evidence of the work that players do to get to the top? You sort of assume they have to work their way up, but I've never really thought about how they did that. It'd be the rare junior that jumped straight onto the ATP or WTA circuit - I suppose, in recent memory, Alize Cornet has done it, and maybe Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, but let's have a look at recent junior Slam winners for boys, and see where they are now. In 2007, Donald Young won the US Open for boys, and in 2006 Thiemo de Bakker won junior Wimbledon, but we have to go back to 2005 before we start getting any really familiar names - the champions that year were Young, Marin Cilic, Jeremy Chardy and Ryan Sweeting. That was 2005, and now we're in 2008, and if we take Cilic as our example case, it has taken him about three years to be a regular on the ATP circuit. He didn't even qualify for the US Open last year.

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So where was Marin in these few years? Playing Challengers and Futures, no doubt, but maybe he was hanging about on the Pro Circuit too. So maybe I should pay more attention to this hitherto unheard-of circuit... perhaps I can claim I saw the next Roger Federer play before he was famous!

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Today's Results

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open (Guangzhou)

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Olga Govortsova def. Yan Zi, 6-3 6-2

Mariya Koryttseva def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-4 6-4

Karin Knapp def. Zhang Shuai, 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 6-1

Alla Kudryavtseva def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-4 4-6 6-3

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Aniko Kapros, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1

Lu Jingjing def. Ekaterina Dzehalevich, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Good Behaviour

Wasn't that match between Roger Federer and Dominik Hrbaty just the loveliest thing you ever saw? I don't know if I've ever seen a tennis match that was... well, nicer. And not because Federer won and won so easily - though that was, of course, very nice! What was the loveliest was the way that Federer and Hrbaty clearly respected and liked each other. At the risk of sounding stereotypically Australian, it was a match between mates, and it was wonderful to watch.

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I've never seen a match where the players sat next to each other on the changeover like that. I mean, sure, in Davis Cup you've got the bench, but that's different, because you sit with your teammates. These were opponents, in Wimbledon - the holy grail of tennis. And yet they could still remain friends, even though they were competing for such a prize.

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Just another one of the things I like about Federer (and now Hrbaty!) Sportsmanship. The world of sport would be a better place if more people would take his example. Which is why it's so good that Federer has been elected to the new Player's Council (along with Nadal and Djokovic.) I hope his influence can become even more pervasive.

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On the actual match - how good was Hrbaty's hot dog shot?! And Federer's insane backhand smash volley?! Grass is so so good for producing a highlights reel, I tell you!

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Speaking of great tennis statesmen, I'd just like to devote a few sentences to the oldest player in the field, who has just announced that he will retire this season. Jonas Bjorkman, I salute you. He has played and played well for his whole career. His singles and doubles careers are both very distinguished. But more than that, Bjorkman has always been a gentleman tennis player. He has always been a great sport, he has won with humility and lost with grace, and there is little in sport more important than a good attitude. So, vale Jonas. You will be missed.

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There were some other great matches yesterday. The one I saw the most of (inevitably, being in Australia) was the Hewitt-Haase match, and wasn't it a barnburner?! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really like the way Haase plays. He's only young, so he has lots of time to improve. If he can stop panicking on his forehand he will be something else. He has beautiful hands at the net, which is unusual for a player as tall as he is. He gets down to the ball really well - and he is not afraid to come in, which is great to see. Pat Rafter was on the tennis last night bemoaning the lack of true serve-and-volley players, and I agree with him. There will always be some room in tennis, especially in grass court tennis, for serve-and-volley. And net play in grass is just so lovely to watch, from an aesthetic perspective... yeah, this was a great match.

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Hewitt played pretty well too. He's not the Hewitt that once he was, but he played pretty respectably. His hip seemed to be holding up okay, and he has much better run now that he's got passed this Haase test. (But give Haase a few years... yeah, you've heard it before.) I don't think he'll have too many problems with Montanes, Montanes being pretty much a claycourter. That'd give him either Bolelli or Gonzalez in the next round... Gonzalez could be a stumbling block. I've never seen Gonzalez play on grass, though, so it could be a tight match.

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One of the commentators said something intelligent last night (shock horror!) They pointed out that Hewitt's game is based around counterpunching, and now that people don't come to the net so much, it's much harder for him to enforce his game. I thought that was a really interesting point. The game has evolved, and to an extent, Lleyton Hewitt has been left behind.

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Only two major upsets yesterday - much as I wish it had been three, Djokovic got through, though he looked a bit scratchy. Ivo Karlovic went out - is this an object lesson in not playing a tournament the week before Wimbledon? Who can tell? (Ferru won, so this thesis is obviously flawed... though his opponent did retire. Hmmm...) More shockingly, David Nalbandian (Headbandian) went out. That's two early exits now - second round to Chardy at Roland Garros, and now first round to Frank Dancevic. Now, Dancevic isn't a bad player, but he's no Headbandian. It looks like LameDave has been back in action. Not being a Headbandian fan, I find it difficult to be sad, but it is disappointing. That opens this little section of the draw right up, though, because Karlovic was in it too... the next highest seed is Baghdatis. Hmmm. That could be veeeeeery interesting. I'd like to see Baghdatis get through to a semi against Federer. Obviously Djokovic stands in the way... but I have a tiny, baby feeling that his next opponent might give him a run for his money. Who is it, you asked?

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Marat Safin.

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If Marat plays his true Maratski tennis, he is going to blow Djokovic away. Unfortunately, Marat hates grass. So this could be... um... interesting. That's a safe assessment.

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I was glad to see Mario Ancic get through as well, though his match against Llodra did not quite go the six hours I predicted, as Llodra retired. Oh well. Some of the other matches I said would be interesting totally were! Hewitt/Haase, for one, Berdych/Korolev, for another. And the Bellucci/Kunitsyn clash was definitely intriguing - I was very glad to see Bellucci win. I'm keeping my eye on him. I really like his game. He's up against Simon Stadler next, who upset Karlovic, and I think Thomaz stands a good chance.

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It struck me after writing that monstrous preview yesterday that I did that thing I do wherein I totally forget the existence of women's tennis. Oops. Let's have a quick look at it now. There were a couple of upsets yesterday, the biggest one being Patty Schnyder, who got beaten by that wonderful little Aussie giant-killer Casey Dellacqua. I'm not, as you know if you've read me blog before, very patriotic when it comes to tennis, but I think Casey is the bee's knees. She has really risen to the occasion in Slams this year. Actually, she beat Schnyder before, didn't she? Australian Open, second round, if memory serves. So well done, Casey.

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My French favourite, Alize Cornet, also went out - though the player she went out to, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, is pretty intriguing. They were juniors together, and they were both up there at the top. Cornet has actualised it better in the WTA draw than Pavlyuchenkova has so far - but is that about to change?

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Virginie Razzano, Maria Kirilenko and Dominika Cibulkova also went out. Interestingly, not long after Cibulkova lost, her boyfriend Gael Monfils held a press conference withdrawing from the tournament. Draw your own conclusions from that. Meanwhile, has anyone else noticed how Gael Monfils looks sort of possessed all the time? It's very bizarre.

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Other than that, it was pretty standard. Ivanovic was impressive. Agnes Szavay was also - I think her time might be coming to make a big run at a Slam. Kuznetsova was scratchy, much as she was in Eastbourne last week. She'd better pick up her game if she wants to go deep. Sam Stosur also had a great win, and I think she stands a good chance of taking out Vaidisova in the next round - which might give her a third round clash with Dellacqua, which would be intriguing.

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So, if I had to pick my semifinalists from the women, I would say Ivanovic (dead cert), Serena Williams (with Agnieszka Radwanska also a possibility,) Sharapova (or Safina) and either Venus Williams or Jankovic, depending on how well Venus plays. There are, of course, some dark horses lurking about - Agnes Szavay for one, and even Dellacqua could make a good run, but those are the four... or seven, I guess! that I'd be looking for.

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Wimbledon Results - Day #1

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Dominik Hrbaty, 6-3 6-2 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Michael Berrer, 7-5 2-6 6-3 6-0

Lleyton Hewitt def. Robin Haase, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 6-2

Frank Dancevic def. David Nalbandian, 6-4 6-2 6-4

David Ferrer def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 1-3 retired

Marcos Baghdatis def. Steve Darcis, 6-3 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Fernando Gonzalez def. Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 7-5

Mario Ancic def. Michael Llodra, 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 2-0 retired

Igor Andreev def. Jiri Vanek, 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2

Thomaz Bellucci def. Igor Kunitsyn, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-2

Olivier Rochus def. Dudi Sela, 6-4 7-5 6-4

Marc Gicquel def. Kei Nishikori, 4-6 7-5 retired

Thomas Johansson def. Vince Spadea, 6-7 (8-10) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 6-3

Florent Serra def. Yen-hsun Lu, 6-4 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-3

Feliciano Lopez def. Brian Dabul, 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-3 6-4

Albert Montanes def. Carlos Berlocq, 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Victor Hanescu def. Alejandro Falla, 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-0 6-4

Philipp Petzschner def. Hyung-taik Lee, 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 retired

Roko Karanusic def. Luis Horna, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-1

Simone Bolelli def. Alex Bogdanovic, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Marat Safin def. Fabio Fognini, 6-1 6-2 7-6 (7-3)

Tomas Berdych def. Evgeny Korolev, 4-6 6-1 6-4 3-6 7-5

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Marcos Daniel, 6-3 6-2 7-5

Bobby Reynolds def. Filippo Volandri, 6-2 6-2 retired

Andreas Seppi def. Tobias Kamke, 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4

Juan Martin del Potro def. Pavel Snobel, 6-4 6-2 6-3

Robin Soderling def. Kevin Kim, 7-5 0-6 6-3 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-4 6-3 6-2

Ilia Bozoljac def. Chris Guccione, 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Sam Querrey, 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Alexander Peya, 6-3 6-4 6-4

Simon Stadler def. Ivo Karlovic, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-5

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Women's Draw

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Ana Ivanovic def. Rossana de los Rios, 6-1 6-2

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Iveta Benesova, 6-3 6-0

Marion Bartoli def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-2 6-4

Serena Williams def. Kaia Kanepi, 7-5 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Mathilde Johansson, 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3

Amelie Mauresmo def. Ashley Harkleroad, 6-4 6-3

Samantha Stosur def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-2 6-2

Anna Chakvetadze def. Stephanie Dubois, 2-6 6-1 8-6

Elena Vesnina def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-4

Pauline Parmentier def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 7-5 6-4

Evgeniya Rodina def. Virginie Razzano, 0-6 6-2 6-4

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Yan Zi, 6-3 6-0

Casey Dellacqua def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 3-6 6-1

Virginia Ruano Pascual def. Milagros Seguera, 6-1 6-4

Tatiana Perebiynis def. Petra Kvitova, 6-4 0-6 6-4

Urszula Radwanska def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-1 6-4

Edina Gallovits def. Yvonne Meusburger, 6-1 6-2

Li Na def. Anastasia Rodionova, 3-6 6-0 6-1

Elena Baltacha def. Angelique Kerber, 6-3 2-6 7-5

Nathalie Dechy def. Yuan Meng, 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 6-0

Jie Zheng def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4 6-3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Alize Cornet, 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4)

Marta Domachowska def. Jill Craybas, 6-1 3-6 6-4

Bethanie Mattek def. Severine Bremond, 5-7 6-0 6-1

Agnes Szavay def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-1 6-3

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Rika Fujiwara, 1-6 6-4 6-3

Alona Bondarenko def. Melanie South, 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 6-4

Vera Dushevina def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 6-3

Nicole Vaidisova def. Zuzana Ondraskova, 6-2 6-2

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Camille Pin, 7-5 4-6 7-5

Waiting In The Wings

Have you heard of Jeremy Chardy? Because I haven't. And you know why? He's ranked #145 in the world. Even people like me who follow tennis closely don't normally follow it that closely.

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And yet today Jeremy Chardy, of whom no one has heard, took out David Nalbandian. Heard of him? I have. #6 seed. Argentine #1. Rival of Federer throughout their junior days - a rivalry that continues today, to an extent. Winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005 and two consecutive Masters Series events at the end of last year.

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Surprised? I was.

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If there's one thing I've learned from this year's Roland Garros - and, indeed, the claycourt season - is that I should be paying attention to the Challenger circuit (and probably the Futures circuit as well.) I've already written a bit about Eduardo Schwank (who is Argentina's best hope in the draw now!) Thomaz Bellucci was pretty impressive against Nadal in the first round, even though he got beaten. Ernests Gulbis, the young Latvian kid, beat James Blake today. And now Chardy... there is some interesting stuff going on in those lower rankings. I wouldn't say that Roland Garros has been a fiesta of upsets or anything - though Schwank, Gulbis and Chardy certainly pulled them! - but there have been a few guys that I think are going to be good in a year or two. REALLY good.

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A disappointing result for Nalbandian, though I can't bring myself to be too sad. I'm hardly his biggest fan. I think a lot of his wins and defeats are in his head. He has this Jekyll and Hyde thing going on. It's like there are two Nalbandians - GoodDave and LameDave. I only caught a bit of the Chardy match, but it looked like LameDave showed up big time in the third set. I wouldn't call Nalbandian inconsistent exactly - LameDave wins sometimes, though he's got nothing on GoodDave, who beats Federer twice in three weeks - but the continual presence of LameDave has to be a worry for him.

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What is going to be really interesting is to see who makes it through that quarter. Everyone was talking about the potential Nadal/Nalbandian quarterfinal, because even though Roland Garros is Rafa's playground, he's never beaten Nalbandian (GoodDave or LameDave.) But it is not going to come to pass. Our options now are Murray, Chardy, Tursunov or Almagro. Now, I suppose I can't count Chardy out... but I'm going to. I think we're looking at a Tursunov/Almagro fourth round - Murray's good, but I don't think he's going to be able to touch Almagro on clay. Sentimentally, I'd like Tursunov to come out on top, as he is my second favourite after Federer and all, but I think Almagro might be our quarterfinalist there. Rafa will take him out - there's pretty much no doubt in my mind, unless something dire happens - but I think Almagro will push him a bit. He's a real claycourt player - I think he's won Valencia twice? Correct me if I'm wrong.

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Speaking of Nadal, he put a beating on Nicolas Devilder today... who never even came close to pulling a Chardy. He did well in the first set, but after that, Nadal destroyed him. Federer did a similar thing, though he actually lost a rain-interrupted first set against Albert Montanes in a breaker... but when it was time for the second set, the Fed amped it up and went all destructo.

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I know there'll probably be some 'mon dieu! Federer has lost his touch!' media attention because of the whole first set loss and all, but, like Sharapova yesterday, I don't think it'll hurt him too much. Considering it's been a rainy Roland Garros, it's probably a good thing for him to get in some extra practice on the super-soft wet clay. And playing ten games odd in the rain can't have been much fun! After the first set - which was tight - Federer played very well. I'm happy with his progress! He plays Ancic in the next round, which is being billed (justifiably) as 'potentially tricky' but I think he's going to do just fine... especially if he can keep his first serve percentage up there!

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On the women's side (only a little bit on them today. I talked much too much about them yesterday!) Casey Dellacqua won again, in what must have been a much easier match against Nathalie Dechy. She comes up against Carla Suarez Navarro in the next round, and it'd be great to see her make a run to the round of sixteen again, to prove the Australian Open wasn't a fluke! I don't think Australia has a prayer of winning the French this year in anything, but if someone's going to go deep, it's going to be her. I was surprised to see Hewitt take out Fish, but David Ferrer is going to cane him in the next round. In my humble opinion, anyway... and judging by the beatdown Ferru laid on Santoro yesterday, my opinion might be grounded in fact...

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I was glad to see Alize Cornet win as well - I have my eye on her as a bit of a star of the future, and I REALLY like the way she plays. Same with Dinara Safina, though it was a shame her big brother Marat went out to Davydenko. I think the upset of the day was probably Anna Chakvetadze - the #6 seed, much like Nalbandian - going down to Kaia Kanepi. Mauresmo went down too... I don't think Amelie's really ever going to have much impact in Paris, to tell the truth, which is sad for her. Kirilenko also got knocked out... but so did Andreev, so they can console each other and stuff, I guess!

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And, finally, congratulations to my man Stan Wawrinka, who won his match in straights. With Richou out of the draw, I think we might be looking at an all Swiss quarter... when I would obviously have to abandon cheering for Stan because of extreme Federer adoration. But I would love to see him get that far! And speaking of Swiss players, Timea Bacsinszky is going to be one worth keeping an eye on. She went out to Patty Schnyder (from Switzerland, surprise surpise) yesterday, but I think she's going to be great. She and Cornet, my other up-and-comer on the women's side, are playing doubles together and I'd love to see them go deep. They won their first round match against Navratilova (Gabriela, not Martina!) and Paszek... so here's hoping my pick of the teens comes up trumps! Although they might be facing the Bondarenko sisters in the next round... but if Chardy can take out Nalbandian, who knows what might happen in the women's doubles?

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Roland Garros Results - Day #5

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Albert Montanes, 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-0 6-4

Rafael Nadal def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-4 6-0 6-1

David Ferrer def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-0 6-1 6-0

Gael Monfils def. Luis Horna, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-5

Nikolay Davydenko def. Marat Safin, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-2

Ernests Gulbis def. James Blake, 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 7-5 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt def. Mardy Fish, 6-4 6-3 6-2

Jeremy Chardy def. David Nalbandian, 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-2

Tommy Robredo def. Marc Gicquel, 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-4 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-3 6-2 6-2

Fernando Gonzalez def. Pablo Andujar, 7-5 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3)

Radek Stepanek def. Jiri Vanek, 6-1 6-0 6-7 (7-9) 6-3

Jarkko Nieminen def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 7-5 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2)

Robby Ginepri def. Igor Andreev, 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Dmitry Tursunov def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 6-0

Nicolas Lapentti def. Bobby Reynolds, 7-5 6-4 5-7 7-5

Mario Ancic def. David Marrero, 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2

Jurgen Melzer def. Marcos Daniel, 4-6 6-3 2-6 6-3 6-4

Ivan Ljubicic def. Diego Jungueira, 6-3 6-4 6-2

Robin Soderling def. Paul Capdeville, 6-3 6-2 6-4

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Marin Cilic, 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Fernando Verdasco def. Juan Ignacio Chela, 7-5 4-6 6-3 7-5

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Women's Draw

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Venus Williams def. Selima Sfar, 6-2 6-4

Carla Suarez Navarro def. Amelie Mauresmo, 6-3 6-4

Alize Cornet def. Gisela Dulko, 6-0 4-6 6-4

Jelena Jankovic def. Marina Erakovic, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Vania King, 6-4 6-2

Casey Dellacqua def. Nathalie Dechy, 6-4 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Marta Domachowska, 6-1 6-4

Karin Knapp def. Olivia Sanchez, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Flavia Pennetta def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 3-6 6-1 6-1

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 1-6 6-1 6-3

Victoria Azarenka def. Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea, 6-0 6-0

Iveta Benesova def. Shuai Peng, 6-4 6-3

Dominika Cibulkova def. Milagros Seguera, 6-3 6-0

Olga Govortsova def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-0 7-5

Petra Kvitiva def. Samantha Stosur, 6-2 6-1

Agnes Szavay def. Sabine Lisicki, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 7-6 (7-2)

Francesca Schiavone def. Sanda Mamic, 6-3 6-0

Jie Zheng def. Maria Kirilenko, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 4-6 6-3 6-1

Petra Cetkovska def. Galina Voskoboeva, 7-5 6-3

Dinara Safina def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-0 6-1

Katarina Srebotnik def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-0 7-5